as in bribe
something given or promised in order to improperly influence a person's conduct or decision
the customs official let us know that he might be prepared to look the other way if an appropriate backhander was slipped into his palm
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Recent Examples of backhander
His mining deals in Congo, NGOs alleged, relied on schemes like kickbacks and backhanders.
—
Nicolas Niarchos, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Keller retrieved the pass to herself, and one-timed a backhander underneath Canadian keeper Ann-Renée Desbiens.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 20 Feb. 2026
Megan Keller found the back of the net with a backhander 4:07 into overtime to secure the gold medal.
—Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Driving to the net, the U.S. assistant captain got off a backhander that beat Ann-Renee Desbiens over her right pad.
—John Wawrow, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for backhander
Nicolas Niarchos, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Keller retrieved the pass to herself, and one-timed a backhander underneath Canadian keeper Ann-Renée Desbiens.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 20 Feb. 2026
Megan Keller found the back of the net with a backhander 4:07 into overtime to secure the gold medal.
—Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Driving to the net, the U.S. assistant captain got off a backhander that beat Ann-Renee Desbiens over her right pad.
—John Wawrow, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for backhander
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backhander
bribe
Noun
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Players were offered $10,000 to $30,000 bribes per game, and Smith paid players after successful bets, according to court documents.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Mar. 2026
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The letter also refuted accusations of a bribe, which were based on a text message a Quest representative had sent Davis.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backhander.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backhander. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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